Table of Contents

Monday, February 18, 2019

Argentina Parra
is the author of Silence Is Not an
Option: A Memoir of Overcoming Abuse, Anxiety, and Depression, self-published
in December 2018. Since then, the book has gone on to reach #1 New Release
status in two Amazon categories (Hispanic & Latino Biographies and
Dysfunctional Relationships) and has earned a much-deserved 4.9/5.0 rating (with
55 reviews). It is currently available on Kindle and in paperback at Amazon.

Silence Is Not An Option is the true story of Parra's decades-long
fights for the safety and security of herself and her children through domestic abuse, mental health obstacles, and legal threats.

​

Against relentless barriers, she struggled for stability while
she immigrated to a new country, learned a new language, started a business,
and pursued her education while raising a family—despite the efforts of men who
tried to take it all away from her.

Parra’s story is inspiring, and the memoir is moving. Her
words are inspirational, and her lessons are empowering. If you would like to
see Argentina Parra in person, your next opportunity will be at La Tia & Pancho's
Cantina & Grill (140 N. Main Street, St. Charles, Missouri 63301) on
Wednesday, February 20, 2019, from 6:30–8:30pm, where Parra will be selling and
signing copies of her book. A portion of the proceeds from every book sold will go to The Women's Safe House. Mark it on your calendar and don't miss it!

Kyla's debut novel, The Distance Between Us, in an international story of love and murder, intrigue and romance, that spans decades and continents. Check out Kyla's website at kylamareesimcoke.com, and check out the Gazelle article here.

Thursday, July 26, 2018

For the last few months, Editwright's Andrew Doty has been working with an excellent team from Humans of St. Louis to assemble and run a Kickstarter for their first-ever book. The response has been heartwarming to receive, and we just hit our goal on Wednesday, more than two days before deadline. But that means there's still time to become a backer, so if you're curious about the book, check it out here, and become a backer to reward yourself with some exclusive offers, like acknowledgements in the book or online, postcards and prints, and the satisfaction of helping to make something great.

Monday, May 21, 2018

Check out the excellent new medical thriller from Kyla-Maree Simcoke, her debut novel, now published in paperback and e-book form, and available soon in hardcover! Congratulations to Simcoke on all her hard work on the book, which we at Editwright absolutely loved helping with.

Editwright team members worked with Simcoke on every aspect of this book's publication, including developmental editing; copyediting; proofreading, the book's design, layout, and formatting for e-book; website design; and publicity. But the real props go to the author herself, who wrote and published a clever and engaging mystery that follows characters through international intrigue.

Friday, January 26, 2018

In a recent episode of the St. Louis Writers Guild's Write Pack Radio, "Is it Ready to be Published?," steampunk author Brad R. Cook brings up "The Marshmallow Test" and relates it to reaping rewards in publishing. "Some people finish the book and query right away. Those people will not get a publishing contract," says Cook.

What is The Marshmallow Test? The Stanford marshmallow experiment was a series of studies in which children were given marshmallows and told that if they didn't eat the marshmallows for a while, they would be given more treats. The kiddos who ate the marshmallows right away didn't get any more treats. "The people who know to wait before querying, to work — and you know, run through the process," Cook continues, "they will get the second marshmallow." Fellow St. Louis author Fedora Amis chimes in, "But it's not just a matter of waiting in order to get the reward. It's also a matter of doing the other things that need to get done... the work doesn't stop just because you've written 'The End.'"

"Running through the process," in Cook's terms, means vetting your book and improving it. It means re-reading it yourself and revising it, as well as having some other trusted readers give you their feedback. It means editing, in a nutshell, but for self-publishing authors it can mean so much more — it means everything.

While the marshmallow metaphor is easy (just wait, kid), the process of getting a book ready to publish is a lot of real work. Cook is talking about getting a manuscript ready to submit to an agent, which means soliciting advice and opinions (from professional editors or from beta readers, for example), then processing that feedback and revising your book accordingly. Self-publishing authors, however, are given 3 marshmallows, and they aren't allowed to eat any of them too soon if they want more sweets:

Production

Marketing

Management

To get good results out of your book, it has to look professional, and it needs professional production. To get good results with your sales, it has to catch the eyes of your buyer. And it has to be maintained and kept going.

Remember that rushing a book to publication often means foregoing the opportunities you could have built by waiting and working. Be patient, and you'll get your just desserts.

Monday, December 11, 2017

First, be sure to order your Editwright gift cards today to get them in time for the holidays!

And second, you can earn $100 credit simply by referring someone to Editwright! If you refer someone to Editwright who spends $100 or more, you'll receive $100 in credit. It's as simple as that! (Be sure to keep in touch about who you've referred, and remind them to let us know who referred them, too.)